COVID-19 Resources

The Urbandale Chamber is closely monitoring the changing developments of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its impact on our members and community. Please reference these gathered resources to aid in your decision making as you are preparing for the impact of COVID-19. For more advice and resources on planning and preparedness for organizations and illness prevention strategies, visit the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Hub. This is an ever-evolving situation, and it is important for us to continue to support local businesses and each other especially during challenging times.

Resources

DSM Partnership – DSM Forward: Industry Playbooks

The Greater Des Moines Partnership has launched a compilation of DSM Forward playbooks devoted to helping businesses and industries prepare for next steps related to economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. DSM Forward includes industry-specific playbooks and business function playbooks with recommendations — leveraging international, national, state and local sources and following federal, state and local public health official recommendations — to help guide businesses and organizations as they determine pathways toward the future in an everchanging landscape.

Click your industry below to be linked to the related industry playbook.

General Information and Toolkits

Greater Des Moines Partnership Planning and Preparedness
The Greater Des Moines Partnership has compiled a list of advice and resources to help businesses prepare for the impact of COVID-19. Including information about mitigation and recovery, employment resources, virtual events and webinars listings, government and public policy information, and illness prevention. In addition, the Partnership sought feedback via a survey from local businesses to determine how they are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and what they can do to help. Find the full survey results.

Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Crisis Management
Chambers and businesses need to prepare for the impacts of COVID-19 transmission in the United States. Learn more about implementing a series of actions that minimize the impact on local communities and support the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) containment strategy. Includes pandemic guidance, crisis communication templates, and other pandemic related resources.

US Chamber of Commerce Foundation Resources
This page contains links to resources on business resilience and disaster recovery. Including business response examples, information about webinars and events, workplace resources, resources for educators and parents, and guides explaining a variety of relief resources including the stimulus package.

How to list items for sale on www.centraliowa.shopwhereilive.com
This Zoom webinar explains how to register and list items for sale on wwww.centraliowa.shopwhereilive.com, an online e-commerce website to bring small businesses together to sell their products and services virtually. The site is a fully functional e-commerce site that allows businesses, not only the opportunity to be listed but to actually receive orders to generate much-needed dollars during a time when cash flow is needed. Interested in setting up an online store? Submit a vendor registration.

U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact.

Iowa Financial Assistance Programs
How to obtain assistance, financial aid, and cash grants for eligible cities and counties in Iowa from a variety of state-sponsored programs. Includes information for programs providing government assistance and non-profit grants to help pay rent or energy bills or coordinate-free health care and information on cash assistance programs for low-income families, free medical or dental care, and other support.

Targeted Small Business Sole Operator Fund – Due by April 10th
A fund has been created to support Targeted Small Businesses (TSB) with zero employees that have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers eligible small businesses grants up to $10,000 to businesses that are single owners with no employees that are also TSB certified, or have an application submitted to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) by April 10, 2020, to become TSB certified.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)The Paycheck Protection Program has been replenished & PPP rules relaxed! This program is designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on payroll by providing each small business a loan up to $10 million for payroll and certain other expenses. Applications for the Paycheck Protection Program can be filed at any lending institution that is approved to participate in the program through the existing U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) lending program and additional lenders approved by the Department of Treasury. Find local SBA assistance.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
Changes have been made to the existing EIDL program administered by the SBA. Loans can now be made based solely on credit scores. Loans are now available to all non-profits, including 501(c)(6) organizations. Loans below $200,000 can be approved without a personal guarantee. Borrowers can receive $10,000 cash advances that are forgiven if spent on paid leave, maintaining payroll, increased costs due to supply chain destruction, mortgage or lease payments, or repaying obligations that cannot be met due to revenue losses. There is no obligation to repay the grant. To receive the $10,000 emergency grant, it is not necessary to have an approved EIDL loan. However, if you are able to secure a PPP loan, the $10,000 grant will be subtracted from the forgiveness amount.

UPDATE: April 6, 2020 – SBA announced it is implementing a $1000 per employee on the advance, up to a maximum of $10,000. So, a business with three employees, for example, would be eligible to receive only $3,000 up front, as opposed to the originally stated $10,000. To check the status of your loan application call 800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Employee Retention Tax Credit
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act created a new employee retention tax credit for employers who are closed, partially closed, or experiencing significant revenue losses as a result of COVID-19. Employers who receive a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan are not eligible for a tax credit. Find out more information about the tax credits.

Main Street Lending Program
The Federal Reserve has announced that it is establishing a Main Street Lending Program (Program) to support lending to small and medium-sized businesses that were in good financial standing before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Reserve is currently working to create the program infrastructure. More information will be added as the program develops.

Payroll Tax Deferment
The Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) allows employers to defer the deposit and payment of the employer’s share of Social Security taxes and self-employed individuals to defer payment of certain self-employment taxes. The deferred deposits of the employer’s share of Social Security must be deposited by the following dates: 50% of the deferred amount on December 31, 2021 and the remaining amount on December 31, 2022. Employers who have received a PPP loan may defer deposit and payment that would be required to made beginning on March 27, 2020, through the date the lender issues a decision to forgive the loan. Once an employer receives a decision from its lender that its PPP loan is forgiven, the employer is no longer eligible to defer deposit and payment of the employer’s share of Social Security tax due after that date.

REGIONAL PARTNERS LAUNCH SMALL BUSINESS RECOVERY GRANT
A number of regional partners have worked to launch the Small Business Recovery Grant program to help small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is led by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Polk County, City of Des Moines, City of Urbandale, Warren County, City of Johnston, City of Indianola, City of Norwalk, City of West Des Moines, City of Clive, City of Windsor Heights and City of Carlisle. The grant program will be available for sole-proprietors or businesses with 0 – 30 employees that have had restrictions placed on their operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant awards will range from $1,000 – $5,000 dependent on the justification of need, with grants available for up to $10,000 for businesses in the City of Des Moines due to Community Development Block Grant funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Preference will be given to businesses that have not
yet received money from federal or state recovery programs as this regional program is intended to complement, not duplicate, other existing programs.

Leave Policy for Employees Impacted by COVID-19 Layoffs
Iowa Workforce Development has implemented updates to its leave policy for filing unemployment insurance benefits following the enactment of the CARES Act. Effective immediately, employees who are or will be laid off, or are unable to work for reasons related to COVID-19, will no longer be required to use all paid leave prior to being eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. Find the IWD COVID-19 Information Page for more information.